Taking Delima run to New Heights

Time: 8pm
From: Ben's Art Class in Delima
To: Minden Heights

Length: 9.8km
Time Taken: 58mins

Decided to take a different route today after I woke up after my nap. I felt totally unmotivated as I was a bit groggy and slightly tired from yesterday but I had my running kit all on and only 3 Sundays to go til the big day! So after getting a message from my friend, Grace, I decided to run to her place as she estimated it to be 2-3km long. After running 20mins, I was either going excruciating slowly or her judgement of distances was way off the mark. It felt like a 5km run and it was a bit hard to the return leg but I got a second wind at the 9km mark and 'burst' up the hill in the fastest pace I could.

Run + Match!

Time: 5.15pm
From: Polo Field to Polo Field via Youth Park

Length: 7.5km
Time Taken: 45mins approx

My first run with an actual person in all my training. And not just anyone - it was my good friend, Kaz, who came all the way from KL via England to visit for just one day! And if that wasn't good enough, he's an experienced marathon runner having done London, Dublin, Berlin and Paris! It sure does make a difference having someone to chat to as you run and he gave me lots of invaluable tips such as leaning slightly forward on downhill stretches and running economically. Perhaps the biggest boost though was that he thinks I can actually finish the marathon! :)

Played for KDU vs PMC
Score: Drew 1-1 (match abandoned at half time)

Played: centre midfield (half game)
Warm Up: See run above!

I had the movement but I think the legs were a bit shaky when I actually had to receive the ball! Gave Muneer a few misplaced passes, hit a few nice ones for Jimmy to run onto and had one left footed cross that finished a foot wide of the far post. The match will also be remembered for the torrential rain that hit after a quarter of an hour!

Football Match

Played for P.S.C. Wednesday vs Kickers
Score: Won 2-1

Played: Overlapping Centre half
Warm Up: Minimal

After setting the ball behind Nara after a free run on goal and blasting one over the bar, I actually got onto the scoresheet after a burst from the back! Hilme's through ball tempted Manium out but then retreated and thanks to that indecision (I thought it was his!), I nudged it to his right and it rolled gently towards the far post where I thought I'd missed & wouldn't ensure the wrath of my teammates! Fortunately it hit the inside of the post and we were one goal to the good!!

Indoor Football

Played at Dalat International School with Roy, Jason & co from 7.45pm for 2 hours.

T'was great fun as usual but started to get some blisters on the ball of my foot for the first time in years! And Heng's feet are obviously wider than mine - stretched Pumas!

Football Match

Played for C.C.F.C. vs Impro
Score: Lost 3-2 (1-0 up when I left at half time)

Played: Supporting Striker (half game)
Warm Up: Minimal - thanks to my daughter ;)

Should have scored once but shot was a bit tame after shuffling to create space for myself.

Laps Around Delima

Time: 8pm
From: Ben's Art Class in Delima
To: 7 circular laps around Delima area, one hill

Length: Each lap 1.8km
Time Taken: 1 hour 9 mins

Decided to run the whole thing instead of taking walk breaks and felt alright although there was a small blister forming on my little toe. I actually felt alright too considering how little long(ish) distance running I've not been doing over the last 6 days. All those short spurts over 3 hours in baking hot sunshine all over the National Sports Complex football pitch probably didn't hurt though even if it's a different type of movement!

Laps Around Delima

Time: 8pm
From: Ben's Art Class in Delima
To: 6 circular laps around Delima area, one hill

Length: Each lap 1.8km
Time Taken: 1 hour

Today was pretty tough after a late night last night, teaching in the day and eating two nasi lemak's for lunch! Had a nap at 7pm and that didn't seem to help either and ended up doing a jog (with 40 second walk) laps.

Treadmill Run AND Match

Time: 3pm - 4.30pm

Total Time Taken: 90mins
Distance: 15km
Speed: 11/13 for 6 mins, 7.2 for 1 min

Decided to try this method as described by Jeff Galloway in his book 'Marathon.' The walk/break idea seemed worth a try mainly because the thought of jogging continuously for 42km is murderous - especially after my memory of how my legs felt after the half marathon! It sounded a bit sissy at first but I need to use my head as heart can only get so far over such a vast distance.

I would have run for longer if I hadn't had to open the door for my locked out wife and for the fact that I actually had a football match to go to!

Played for PSC Wednesday vs Uplands/P.I.S.S.
Score: Lost 3-4

Played: Centre half for full match (about the only time I was glad to play there too!)

Generally felt alright as I could still make overlapping runs to the other half. Hamstrings did feel tight but that was to be expected after such extensive exercise earlier in the day. I did misplace a pass in the 2nd half that allowed the opponents to score their third goal though - a BAD mistake!

And I'm Officially in The Run...

Well there's no turning back now:

...unless I want to just give my sixty ringitt away! Hopefully my wife's car crash today is not an ominous sign of things to come in the run!!

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I had to go to the gym today because I've got a full working day tomorrow. I was going to go for my long 2 hour run but decided against it after my heavy legs due to yesterday's match. A day of rest tomorrow and I'll do it on Wednesday - honest!

Warm up: 5mins of slow jogging

Circuit of all the following x3

Walking: 1 minute
Speed 11: 1 minute
Speed 15: 3 minutes
Speed 11: 1 minute
Walking: 1 minute

Chest press, biceps curl, back pull down (?) and triceps pull down.

Football Match

Played for C.C.F.C. vs Black Falcon
Score: Won 1-0 (0-0 when I left at half time)

Played: Centre midfield (half game)
Warm Up: 3 laps of polo field (4 football pitches long) and some ball juggling.

Excellent Paul Scholes tackling from myself as I put my foot into the opposition's midfield occasionally getting the ball and occasionally not - much to their displeasure. Put one shot over the bar from outside the box and should have directed Chan's free kick on target but put that one over the bar too!

Laps Around Delima

Time: 8pm
From: Ben's Art Class in Delima
To: 7 circular laps around Delima area, one hill

Length: Each lap 1.8km
Time Taken: 1 hour

Pushed a little bit harder today to manage 7 laps after Kev's comment about not going fast enough! Calves were a bit tender as a result!

Football Match

Played for KDU vs PFS Teachers
Score: Won 4-3

Played: Centre midfield (full game)
Warm Up: Little to non-existent!

Goals: One

The marathon running must helpful. After the match, the referee and one of the opposition players asked me my age because "you can run a lot."

Drinks

Question: How do people run and carry drinks?

I normally hold my keys in one hand and my mobile phone (for timing and emergencies) in the other. Obviously it's not a problem whilst treadmill running but it is a problem when you are running outdoors (especially in the day!)!

Botanical Gardens Run

From: Greenlane
To: highest point in the Botanical Gardens via Youth Park

Length: 14.6km
Time Taken: 1hr 32mins

This was actually supposed to be a 2 hour run but it seems that I am faster than I thought! My other problem was that I wasn't carrying any water and in a daytime outdoor run in humid Penang which I suspect is slightly dangerous. However my mobile phone (also acting as a timer) would provide some sort of assistance - providing I hadn't passed out! I was tempted to ask passing tourists if they could spare some water but decided against coming off as a loony. The only 'people' I talked to were the monkeys at the youth park - and that was to give them fair warning so they wouldn't attack me!

Hitting Weights

Gym work out

Warm Up: Step machine for 10mins

Weights: Chest press, Pull ups, Lunges, Bicep Curl, Tricep Pull Down, Shoulder Press

Football Match

Football Match

Played for CCFC vs Penang Chinese
Score: Won 3-0

Played: Centre midfield
Warm Up: Dynamic stretches, half field sprints

Delima to Cheeseman Run

Time: 8pm
From: Ben's Art Class in Delima
To: Cheeseman Road (and back) and 1 lap of Delima area

Length: 8.8km
Time Taken: 1hr

I decided to deviate my planned run after receiving a sms from my friend, Michelle asking when I was going to pick up some of the cake that she had made. So I told her I was running to her place (in order to save future time and petrol) and she was mighty surprised when I actually turned up all sweaty. Thankfully she had a glass of water for me and I ran for the first time whilst carrying some cake. I decided to drop it off home first - the thought of getting attacked by hungry stray dogs didn't bare thinking about.

Treadmill Run

Time: 2pm
Setting: Flat course
Time Taken: 1hr 30mins

Run 1: 30min run at level 11
Distance: 6km

Break: Chest Press, toilet

Run 2: 1 hr run at level 11, sprinting for 3 mins at level 14
Distance: 10km
Chest Press

I was watching the Barcelona vs Dynamo Kiev replay whilst running, hoping it would mask my pain. Forgot Shevchenko was back at Kiev and Barcelona were fortunate the linesman flagged for offside in the last minutes of the first half after the white shirts found the back of the net. I also found that I run better if there is a change of pace - my body didn't take the shorter, 'slower' run very well but seemed to prefer the longer varied run instead.